Exploitative individuals may well be a part of human nature, but cooperating with other humans to build communities that are greater than the sum of its parts is human nature too.

I don’t believe that it’s possible to necessarily reverse the toxic dynamic you describe, but I do believe that it is possible to move forward in a way that is more productive for wellness. Maybe I just believe this because it’s what I need to believe in order to not go mad and top myself, but I’ll take the free hope.